Various clinical procedures require or benefit from the provision of irrigation and suction to a point of treatment. Irrigation allows the clinician to maintain a wet environment for the surrounding tissue while suction provides a tool for removing debris, excess irrigant or other undesirable material from the point of treatment.
Unfortunately, the use of irrigation and suction currently requires the use of separate devices. Thus, in sinus surgery, for example, each time irrigation is desired, the clinician must select a designated irrigation device and advance the device into the nose of the patient before irrigation can be performed. When suction is needed, the irrigation device must be removed from the patient's nose and laid aside. The clinician must then select a designated suction device and advance the device into the nose of the patient before suction can be applied. As a result, many time-consuming device exchanges must be performed, each of which adds time to the procedure and increases the risk for trauma to the patient as additional entries are required.
Thus, a need exists for improved valve devices that allow selective control of multiple fluid paths.